By Jolene FarleyA 77-year-old Rock County male has contracted West Nile encephalitis, according to information from the Minnesota Department of Health.The man, whose symptoms began in late July, is hospitalized at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls. The Health Department is witholding the man’s name and city of residence.Most people infected with West Nile virus will have either no symptoms or a very mild illness. A small percentage of people, especially elderly patients, may develop West Nile Encephalitis. Approximately 10 percent of these cases are fatal, according to MDH. Most of the severe human cases of encephalitis begin with sudden onset of fever, headache, stiff neck, and vomiting. The illness progresses quickly to include confusion and other mental status changes, altered reflexes, convulsions and coma. There is no treatment for West Nile encephalitis other than supportive care. Procedures at Nobles/Rock Public Health haven’t changed after the diagnosis of the first human case in the county, according to Nobles/Rock Public Sanitarian Jason Kloss."It doesn’t change anything with what we’ve been doing," he said. "We are continuing to monitor the bird population." Kloss advises taking proper precautions to avoid contracting the virus. West Nile virus won’t be going away and is something residents will have to live with year after year."It’s one of these things that’s going to be a fixture in our lives," he said. Kloss said if anyone finds a dead bird they should wear gloves, bag the bird and throw it in the trash. West Nile virus is transferred by mosquitoes and cannot be contracted from birds. Once a county has tested positive for an animal case of the West Nile virus, the Minnesota Department of Health doesn’t continue testing, so local residents don’t need to keep reporting dead birds if they find them.What can people do to prevent West Nile Encephalitis? oPersonal protection measures such as using mosquito repellents, avoiding outdoor exposures at dusk and dawn and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants can reduce risk. oRemoval of water-holding containers from residential areas will reduce the numbers of several mosquito species. oThere is a vaccine available for horses to prevent West Nile encephalitis. Contact a veterinarian for vaccine recommendations. A human vaccine is still in development.
